Impact of Fly Ash as a Raw Material on the Properties of Refractory Forsterite–Spinel Ceramics

This article examines the process for the synthesis of forsterite–spinel (2MgO·SiO2/MgO·Al2O3) refractory ceramics from fly ash and alumina as sources of aluminum oxide. Raw materials were milled, mixed in different ratios and sintered at 1500 °C for 2 h. Sintered samples were characterized by XRD, thermal analyses and SEM. Porosity, water absorption, bulk density, refractoriness, refractoriness under load and thermal shock resistance were also investigated. The impact of fly ash as a raw material was investigated in accordance with the resulting properties and microstructure of samples with fly ash and alumina as the raw materials. Due to the positive effect of flux oxides (iron oxides and alkalis) on sintering, the mullite contained in fly ash completely decomposed into silica and alumina, which, together with magnesium oxide, formed spinel. This led to improved microstructural and mechanical properties and thermal shock resistance. In particular, mixtures with 10 wt.% and 20 wt.% of fly ash had the most promising results compared to alumina mixtures. Both modulus of rupture and thermal shock resistance were improved, while the impact on refractory properties was minimal. The novelty of this research lies in the recycling of fly ash, a by-product from coal-burning power plants, into a raw material for the production of forsterite–spinel refractory ceramics.